- Author
- 04/13/2018
- 1,760 Words
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- 16 Comments
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Drifts - 10. Waltz
Soft music drifted through the air from the other side of the apartment. Joel froze and listened for a moment before toeing off his shoes and going to investigate. Was that a waltz?
He located the sound coming from Mason’s room. Outside the closed door, he stopped, unsure of how to proceed. The clinking sounds of a piano were definitely coming from inside the room. It wasn’t at all like the usual music Mason favored at the moment.
Joel had found this to be an unexpected bonus of having a 16 year old staying with them. He exposed them to new things, music being one of them. Granted, Joel didn’t appreciate all the different artists Mason played for him, but he found it interesting and vitalizing to be at least somewhat in the know about what was happening in the world of music these days. It irritated him when his friends refused to keep an open mind and accept that music today might be different from the music they listened to growing up. It didn’t mean it was of less quality. That sort of fuddy-duddy attitude towards anything new grated on Joel without him being able to pinpoint exactly why. Perhaps the idea of being stuck in the past went against his natural curiosity.
At the moment, Mason seemed to be the fuddy-duddy, visiting the 19th century for no apparent reason. The tune was definitely a waltz. Joel was pleased with himself when he could name it. The Blue Danube. Very classic. What was the boy up to? A soft knock on the door went unanswered. Letting his curiosity win, he opened the door.
The sight that greeted him had him biting his tongue. “No laughing” was usually the best policy when it came to teenagers, no matter what hairbrained idea they came up with. Right now though, Mason was making it truly difficult to keep a straight face. The teen had his arms around their cleaning mop, taking clumsy and rather unrhythmical steps across the floor.
“Hey, what are you doing?” He felt he should make himself known, to spare Mason embarrassment.
The young man flinched and dropped the mop.
“What the hell, Joel! My door was closed! You can’t just come in here!” The boy’s face turned bright red.
It was clear Mason felt caught out, so Joel didn’t feel a need to correct Mason on the fact that he could indeed just come in there if he felt it necessary.
“I’m sorry. I heard that music and got curious. You didn’t answer when I knocked.” After stepping further into the room, Joel picked up the mop, alternately looking at it and at Mason. “What are you doing?”
Mason looked down at his fidgeting hands.
“I was practicing.”
“Practicing? Doing what?”
“The school has decided the first dance of the prom should be a ‘proper’ dance.” The exasperated air quotes were impossible to miss. “So I’m supposed to dance a waltz with Bri. Of course, she’s taken lessons before and actually knows how to dance.” He looked up at Joel and sighed. “I have no idea what I’m doing. It looks so easy on YouTube, but when I try it I feel all wrong.”
“That’s because you’re dancing with a broom…” Joel couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“Come on, I was just trying to do what the video said!”
“OK, calm down. Would you like me to teach you?”
“You? But you don’t know how to dance? I mean ballroom.”
The incredulous look, complete with raised eyebrows, Mason gave him almost upset Joel. It wasn’t that unthinkable he knew how to dance, was it? However, seeing Mason so vulnerable and defensive nipped the brewing irritation in the bud.
“The Swedish educational system is very comprehensive, thank you very much. We have dancing lessons in our PE education. So I can most definitely waltz.”
Mason stared at him for a few seconds and then he started laughing.
“Wait, you do dance lessons in school? How corny is that?!?”
“Well, it has saved me from having to teach myself with the aid of Smelly Nelly here…” Joel cocked his head at the mop on the floor.
“That’s true.” Deflated, Mason sighed.
Joel held out his arms in an inviting gesture.
“So, do you want to give it a try?”
“Well, I have no idea what I’m doing, so I need whatever help I can get.” When he saw Joel’s pointed look, Mason quickly continued. “I mean I’m sure you know how to dance and will be an excellent teacher.”
Shaking his head, Joel picked up the mop from the floor and held it up beside him.
“Your first mistake was trying to dance with a mop. While Nelly here has quite lovely hair, she unfortunately lacks feet. And feet are a rather integral part of dancing. That is avoiding your partner’s feet and toes.” He tossed the mop outside into the hall and then turned back to Mason. “When’s the dance?”
“Next Friday.”
“Then you need to learn how to fake it till you make it and that requires a partner with feet.” Joel held out a hand to Mason. “So, what do you say? No time to lose.”
Looking unsure, Mason glanced to the side as if thinking it over and then he turned back to Joel. Hesitantly, he swept his hair to the side and bit his lower lip. He took Joel’s outstretched hand and then he giggled.
“This feels so weird.” He tried to retract his hand, but Joel held on.
“Come on, it’s just a waltz. I didn’t have you pegged for such a coward.”
“So how do we do this? Shouldn’t one of us be like the girl?” Mason shrugged, looking first uncertain and then slightly cheeky. “But you’re used to being the girl, so it shouldn’t be weird for you.”
“Hey!” Joel playfully punched Mason’s shoulder. “Do you want to impress Brianna or squash her toes?” He thought for a moment. “I guess you’re right. For you to learn properly, I should be the girl.”
Mason kept giggling, but let Joel place his hands in the proper position.
“Can you be serious for a few minutes?”
Mason nodded and did a fairly good job at suppressing further giggles.
As simply as possible, Joel explained the basic moves and how counting to three was the key. Mason started the music and they began to move in a tight circle in the cramped room. Their knees knocked and Mason stepped on Joel’s toes repeatedly. Slowly, he began to grasp the moves and after ten minutes they were if not gliding across the floor at least moving in some semblance of synch.
“Good! Just remember to keep your back straight and maintain the tension in your arms. You are supposed to lead, so do it.” Joel felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple.
Mason was looking flushed as well, his brow knitted in concentration. They spent long hours a week practicing on the ice, but still a few minutes of dancing had them both sweating.
“I need a break!” Mason stepped away and reached for a bottle of water on his desk. He eyed Joel with a new appreciation. “You’re pretty good at this.”
“You’re surprised?” Wiping his brow, Joel gave Mason an amused look.
“Well, yeah.” An impish smile graced Mason’s face. “Waltzing isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I look at you and right now, you’re doing it backwards.”
“I’m man enough not to freak over being the woman while ballroom dancing. At least I don’t have to wear heels.” He snatched the bottle from Mason and took a swig.
Suddenly, Mason’s face turned serious.
“Listen, man. I’m sorry about the ’being a girl’ comment.” He looked Joel straight in the eyes.
Joel waited in curious silence, wondering what Mason would say next.
“It drives Bri nuts when I do that. Calling someone a girl as if it’s a bad thing. I mean, I don’t think being a girl is actually bad. Life would be pretty dull without them too, you know.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“People act as if girls are weak. I see it more like we complement each other in different ways.” Mason sat down on his bed and thought for a moment before continuing. “Just take me and Bri. If we’re choosing where to eat, I have to decide. Otherwise, we’d starve to death before she’s made up her mind. But if we’re choosing which movie to see, Bri makes the best choices. I’d only have us watch the same crap all the time. Not because I don’t like her picks, but because I don’t really know which movies are supposed to be good.”
Sitting down next to Mason, Joel nodded in agreement.
“I guess Lucas and I are the same. With the complementing thing.”
“And let’s face it. There really wouldn’t be any action without both ends covered, regardless if it’s a guy and a girl or two guys. Your preference shouldn’t mean you are any less powerful.” A crooked smile and a wink made it clear just what Mason was hinting at.
The cool matter of fact statement did nothing to prevent Joel’s face from heating up. He bolted up from the bed.
“Mason! Don’t say things like that!”
“What? It’s not like it’s a secret. The walls are pretty thin around here…”
“Just stop! We shouldn’t have this conversation.”
“OK, OK. I just feel it’s the same. If there weren’t any girls, most guys would be pretty miserable. If there were no bottoms, the tops would be miserable. So why do we feel the need to push them down for being who they are?”
The rhetorical question left Joel puzzled. He never would have thought Mason would have reflected on these matters. His whole life he himself had wrestled his need to be taken, to submit. The embarrassment and shame had held him back from asking for what he truly wanted. Until Lucas.
“You really are smart, you know that?”
“Yup.” The deadpan answer had them both giggling.
“Do I have the honor of your next dance?” Joel’s exaggerated bow increased their giggling to a full on laughter, but Mason rose, and assumed his position. Remembering they needed music, he tapped on his phone and classical music once again surrounded them. Joel thought their moves flowed with a little more ease this time and they could both relax into the rhythm. He could trust Mason to lead. 1 2 3, 1 2 3…
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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